Terminal clip



Feb. 28, 1928. 1,661,124

. H. M. KoRr-:TZKY

TERMINAL CLI P Filed May 7, 192:5

wmvfssfs mmm .4 TTORNEYS Patented Feb. 28, `19128.

UNITED STATES HARRY iM. KORETZKY, YORK, N. Y.

TERMINAL CLIP.

Application ledMay 7,

" This invention relates to terminal clips, that is, spring-friction strlpanetal devices adapted to be connected to a battery ter-` minal andhmf'ing spring-l11iassed parts such that .a wire or other elongate electricalconductor may be instantaneously and easily gripped by the clip and removed therefrom with equal facility, yet always when gripped by the clip to be securely and reliably held,

both mechanically and for goodgelectrical contact. y y y An important object sought to be attained by the present invention, will be best under stood if the construction and action of the l5 well-lmown and widely :ulopted Fahnestock terminal clip vis recallml, and particularly the hook-and-hrmk structure characteristic thereof, with its `observed action so far as -ease of mounting and demounting. a conductor is concerned.` y y It is, then, the important object of the invention to provide aterminal clip Wherein there is entirely eliminated a rigidity and stiffness of the spring-friction conductor# 26 gripping elements proper such that the connecting up of a conductor is not a difficult and sometimes annoying task, and particularly not a task such that the lingers of the one attempting to attach the conductor are 3o bruised or pained by the pressure required to separate said elements for insertion of a length of the conductor. I have discovered that to attain this end it is necessary to consider relatively unimportant whether or not the terminal clip is made of a single unitary piece of strip metal or of a plurality of such pieces. And I preferto embody my new clip in a form containing two such lengths of strip meta-l; especially since I 10 have further discovered that the manufac turingr cost of the clip is not thereby materially increased, due to metal-saving, small initial die expense, and fthe exceedingly nominal cost of riveting or otherwise securing together said two lengths.

A further important object of the invention is to provide a clip such that the same may be constructed at a minimum of expense but for perfectly reliable action, and yet the conductor-gripping elements need not both be hook elements, and indeed, need not either one be a hook element.

A further object of the invention is to provide a clip as just characterized, but one 1923. seria; ivo. 637,304.

wherein the lazy-U spring-bow feature characteristic of the Fahnestock clip is preserved, and'yet a clip sharply `distinguished. from said clip last mentioned in thatwhile the upper leaf of such U carries the conductor-griplvnng element to take the underside Vofthe conductor, such conductor may be engaged with the clip by a sidewise movement of the conductor rather than necessarily by an endwise movement thereof.

' The invention will be more clearly `undertaken in connection with `the accompanying drawing, showing a preferred one of the many possible embodiments of the invention. In said drawing:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a battery carrying one of such embodiments, with the clip there shown gripping a conductor and mounting, of any clip according to the in vention, on one terminal of a battery;

VStood from the following description, when 1 having its shankbent to show one possible It will be seen further that the illustrated embodiment of the new clip comprises two separate lengths of strip metal, as spring brass.

The strip carrying the lazy-U (by which 1is meant a spring-bow U lying away `from the vertical) is marked 11, and the other strip is marked 12.

In the case of the embodiment of Fig. 1, (a) Vthe strips 11 and 12 are secured together by a single rivet 13 and a punching 14., (b) the'strip 12 is sloted at 15 for receiving for play therein an `operating tongue 16 en the other strip, the strip 11, (c) the strip 12 carries a bent-over terminal element 17 for gripping the upper side of the con ductor 7, (ci) said element 17 isbenttoward the bowl of the U, (e) the solderable or otherwise attachable shank-portion 18 of the clip is the lower end of strip 12, and (f) the upper leaf 19 of the U-bow takes the ductor. This latter novel and important ad-` vantage is due in part to the long leverage existing between the free end of the operating tongue 16 and the point of bend at the bowl of the U-bow and in part to the fact that compactness of general structure is preserved and yet to attain very wide separation oit the conductor-gripping elements the uppe and lower leaves oi the U need not be brought very close together at any point.

It will be noted further that the clip has another exceedinglyV important characteristic` to witl` that while the clip has at least one plate element (19) 'for gripping the conductor, such plate element need not be bent t'ansverse to its length at any point to present in eilect a hook element, that is,'oiie carrying a transverse groove or depression at any point.

As hereinabove indicated, wide variations may of course be resorted to, within the scope of the following claims,

I claim:

1. A terminal clip, comprising a strip having a free member projecting at an angle from its upper eiid and having a slot therein adjacent the said member, and a second strip having one end secured to the firstiiientioned strip and its free portion constituting a bow spring, one end of the spring extending under the angular member of the first strip and projecting through the 'slot thereof and constituting a ling-er engaging portion, the angular member and the spring constituting gripping jaws between which a conductor can be passed sidewise.

E2. A terminal clip, comprising a strip having a free member projecting at an angle from its upper end and having a slot therein adjacent the said member, and a second strip having one end secured to the firstmentioned strip and its :tree portion constitut-V ing a bow spring, one end of the spring extending under the angular member reduced in width to form a tongue projecting throughy the said slot and constituting a linger engaging portion, the angular member and the spring constituting gripping jaws between which a conductor can be passed sidewise.

j HARRY M. KoniirzKY. 

